Scream
by Blood Red Vampress
Summary: Markus has to take a trip to the dentist...but he's scared as hell. Valerie goes along with him for comfort. Fluff, kisses, humor and romance. Valerie Blaylock/ Markus Vaughn
1. Part One

**Hello all! I've found myself playing Trauma Center a lot as of late and I'm totally loving the slight relationship between Val and Dr. Vaughn. So...considering they're my favorite couple, I decided to write a cute little fic for them. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the "Trauma Center" games or the characters used in this story. I only own the plot. **

_**[Song: "Hotel Room Service" by Pitbull]**_

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**Part One**

"Hey, Val? Exactly how much do you know about dentistry?," Markus asked nonchalantly as he walked up to his secret lover who was standing by the hospital reception desk.

She looked up from the chart she was reading for a split second and then looked back down.

"Nothing. I'm a doctor, not a dentist. Why?," she asked, scribbling something on the chart in her hands.

Markus slightly winced as he took a breath and the cold air sharply bit at his back tooth. Truth be told, this was old news to him. In fact, his tooth had been giving him problems for almost a week now. But when it starts to interfere with everyday tasks, including involuntarily breathing, he knew something had to be done.

He clamped a hand on his left jaw where the pain was and tried to focus on breathing through his nose.

"Well...because...," Markus trailed off.

He knew deep down that he definitely did _not_ want to spend the rest of the day in the dentist's chair. And calm, caring and loving Valerie would not let him get away without having his tooth looked at.

He considered walking away before she could ask. He began to turn when Valerie placed the chart down and looked him in the eye.

"Do you have a toothache?," she asked, taking a step closer.

He sighed, wincing again at the stinging pain.

"Yeah. It's been bothering me for a few days now," Markus answered truthfully, giving into Valerie's beautiful eyes.

"So...why don't you go to the dentist? I can make an appointment for you if you'd like...?," Valerie offered.

Markus' eyes went wide at the mention of the word 'dentist'.

"NO!," he yelled. Then he cleared his throat when Valerie crossed her arms. He spoke quieter. "I mean, no. I'm okay. I think I'll live."

"Markus...you really need to have that tooth looked at. It could be something really serious!," she said, her eyes filling with concern.

Markus instantly felt bad for yelling at her a second earlier. His eyes visibly softened.

"You're right," he paused for a second. "Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you like that. It's just that this tooth is really getting to me."

Valerie smiled brightly, already forgiving him,

"That's okay- I know what it's like. I've had my fair share of toothaches too. How about you head back to the lounge and try to rest...you look tired. I'll call up and make an appointment for you," she suggested.

Markus smiled, grateful to have such an amazing friend.

"Thanks. That sounds great. I guess I'll see you later...?," he said.

"Yea...I guess," Valerie smiled, a slight blush coloring her cheeks.

Markus slightly bowed his head as he began to walk away.

"Markus?," Valerie called.

He stopped walking and turned around.

"Yes?"

"Um..," she stuttered, her blush full-blown. "I just wanted to say 'sweet dreams'."

Markus smiled back and blew her a kiss.

"Thank you, Val," he smiled and turned.

Valerie couldn't help but watch his retreat. The way his muscles moved against the back of his shirt. The way that his hair blew slightly because of the quickened pace at which he walked normally. The way his shoes made a special sound on the tiled hospital floor. The way he absolutely glowed in the bright white hospital hallway.

She sighed to herself before pinching the bridge of her nose. She was falling hopelessly in love with him. No- scratch that. She _was_ hopelessly in love with him...and there was no way even she could deny it.

Markus slept for a while. Not too long, but he dreamt enough to make him _feel_ like he got a good rest.

Oh, it felt soooo good. Valerie's enthralling scent filling his nostrils to the brim. And the feel of her sweet and strawberry flavored lips against his, moving in perfect harmony. Her hand was on his stomach and was just about to go lower, when...

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Markus' cell phone went off, rousing his from his explicitly romantic slumber.

"Awww....come on...," he groaned as he fought his eyes open.

The room around him was dark, but when he took a look at the bright cell phone screen, he squinted as his eyes adjusted to the brightness.

It was a text message.

_From Valerie Blaylock:  
Hey Markus. I got you an appointment today at six. I thought it would be nice if I went with you, so meet me at the hospital entrance at about five o' clock. Love you!_

Markus smiled brightly at her two last words: 'Love you.' Come to think of it, she had been saying that to him a lot lately. I wonder if she was hinting at anything.

He closed out of his inbox and looked at his background. It was a picture of him and Valerie. They were both wearing blue scrubs and were making cute faces at each other. In the bottom right-hand corner was a small heart that Val insisted he put in. They had some great memories together.

The clock on his phone read four fifty-three.

He climbed out of bed and stretched lightly. He clipped his ID tag back on his scrubs and and slid his cell phone in his pocket before heading for his love. After all, he hoped to god that she loved him back the same way he loved her...

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**Here's the first chapter and I hope you enjoyed it so far! Please review and share your ideas about this story with me! Thank you! **


	2. Part Two

**Well, here's the second part of my story. I figure this isn't very popular because only a handful of people know about "Trauma Center" games. But, nevertheless, I'm writing this for my own pleasure and for all those "Trauma Center" fans out there who love the Valerie and Markus pairing. Enjoy! :D**

**((The link to my playlist is on my profile page. To listen to the song for this chapter, please give it a visit. Thank you!))**

**_[Song: "The Lighthouse's Tale" by Nickel Creek]_**

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**Part Two**

Markus was almost shivering and shaking with fear by the time he reached the lobby of the hospital. He didn't want to own up to being scared, so when Valerie asked why he was a step away from convulsing, he attributed it to the usual coldness of the hospital and the fact that he forgot to pull on a shirt under his scrubs this morning. She made it seem that she believed it, but in her mind she knew just how scared Markus was. The fear factor was pouring off him in waves. There was no way she _couldn't_ feel his tenseness and fear.

"So, Markus. You ready to go?," Valerie smiled and looked up at him.

Markus shut his eyes and sighed deeply.

"Not really...but whatever...," he said quietly.

Valerie took his right hand in her left and they walked out of the hospital together. They were fairly silent as they winded through the parking lot to reach the garage. As they stepped under the parking garage, a chilling wind swept through the air surrounding them and Markus shivered and groaned. Valerie just held his hand tighter as they got to her car.

Markus silently slipped into the passenger seat as he usually did every morning when they came to the hospital together. Markus could drive; he did have a license. But he just never got himself a car, and although Val said that she trusted him many times in the past, he would never take the keys to her car. Not even to borrow for a day. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her 'darling' car. And she most definitely wouldn't forgive him if he went and got himself killed in _her_ car.

As the engine started, Markus impatiently turned on the heat, willing the car to warm up faster. Winter was coming and nothing was going to stop it, but this year, it seemed to be in full swing mid-October which had never happened for as long as he could remember. He thought nothing of it and went on with his life. A little bit of coldness wasn't going to stop his generous heart from beating and his skillful hands from saving lives. Not if he could help it.

But when it came down to a tiny toothache, the whole world almost ended for him. He was doing a lecture and his mind was wandering as the sharp pangs of pain flooded his jawline. In surgery, he couldn't think straight. It got to the point where he actually called in sick for a day so he could stay home and not have to be in the OR. This, he knew, was disrupting his life more than he could stand. Markus couldn't eat or drink either hot or cold foods. They had to be warm to a certain degree. He didn't smoke, but if he did, he thought, he wouldn't have been able to. Well, if you think of it that way, that's one upside to toothaches. try as he may, he could not possibly count all the cases and surgeries he performed due to smoking or lung cancer.

These thoughts distracted him for a long while as he stared out the window at the streets and shops buzzing by on the side of the road. The sidewalks were dead silent and deserted. It seems as though the whole town was warm and toasty inside of their houses just waiting for the snow to start falling. Despite the obvious fact that they were in Alaska, winter wasn't always the prevalent season, as the rumors suggest. Some days it's warm enough to wear shorts and tanks tops when the sun is shining. And it doesn't snow all year round. But, needless to say, winter was always the worst season for this icy cold, however, was doing nothing to ease the pain of Dr. Vaughn.

The warmth in the car now helped just a bit, but Markus continued to breath through his nose instead of his mouth. To keep his mind of the fact that his whole mouth was throbbing and he was going to the dentist to have a man put his hands in his mouth, Dr. Vaughn distracted himself by going over patient charts and each diagnosis and a replay of their surgery in his mind. It was a lot of work, but to be honest, Markus couldn't be more content with what he was doing. He was saving lives, and that's all that matters. It was his life dream...ever since he was little. Now, he hoped to god that he wouldn't need any major dental surgery and he would be back to doing his job by tomorrow. But that, even he knew, was highly unlikely.

Markus was so lost in thought that he didn't even register the pain in his mouth anymore. He just wished that he could go home, curl up in his warm bed and sleep for a change. But when Valerie called him out of the deep of his own mind, the pain shot right back up again.

"Markus? Hellooo?," Valerie waved her hands in front of his face. "Markus! We're here."

The man in question snapped his head up and blinked twice, bringing his thoughts back to the present.p

"Huh?," he looked out the windshield and saw the brilliant white dental office in front of him. "Oh, yeah. We're here."

Valerie looked concerned when she took the keys out of the ignition and heard Markus groan and lazily drag himself out of the car as if something was compelling him to stay seated.

"Come on, Markus. You'll be fine. You're sulking too much," Val said as she went around to stand by him, holding her wool jacket closed in the chilling breeze.

He looked incredulously at her.

"Sulking? You think I'm sulking?," he stared at her and crossed his arms. "Hmph. For your information, I am most definitely _not_ sulking!"

Valerie couldn't help but laugh. He really did have the persistence of a child. He wouldn't even admit to Valerie, his best friend, that he was afraid. He was too proud for that. His goal was to keep up the appearance of the 'pristine and scholarly medical doctor who is at the top of the world'. Yeah...it was totally working. Not.

Markus cracked a smile at her laughs as well- he couldn't help it. Valerie's smile and her musical laugh were contagious...but only to him. They were like two of a kind, Valerie and Markus.

"Alright, _Doctor_ Vaughn. Let's go get this over with before we freeze out here," Val smiled as she took hold of his arm.

Markus complied, knowing he would never get out of it anyway. As they walked together, Markus could feel his arm against her petite frame. She was warm and he wished to be able to just hug her and tell her how much she means to him. He held back his romantic ideas as he realized just how much time they have spent together lately, how much Valerie has been 'mistakedly' saying 'I love you', and how much physical contact has been shared between them.

The only other time he could remember- and he didn't really remember because he was drunk and was told he did this afterwards- that they touched, was the make-out night less than a year ago. Markus had a bad day, took the bus home after his 48-hour long shift and ended up drinking at a night club with his friends and Valerie. The next morning, he was alerted by his friend that Valerie and himself, the night prior, had a bit of a 'make-out session' in the men's bathroom. Valerie let it go...but Markus couldn't stop thinking about how he could have hurt her and how stupid he was to let himself get so carried away. Strangely, Valerie never denied the encounter or even apologized for it. Could this little quiet girl from the South actually had liked what happened between them? Markus' mind was curious, but he knew better than to bring up a sore subject like that. It could ruin his wonderful friendship...or it could keep it at a friendship level forever. So, he let it drop. That was the right thing to do.

The warmth of the office was welcoming, but the clean and professional smell of antiseptic the filled the office made a knot in Markus' stomach. His paranoid fears were already beginning to resurface as he and Val walked up to the receptionist.

The office was fairly large and the receptionist desk was like one found in a hospital. It curved a half-circle out from a wall behind it and there were two ladies behind the counter. The waiting room was filled with desks supporting magazines on top of them that were probably years old and blue chairs that looked comfortable but never really were. There was a television in the corner that was currently playing the news channel. The only other people waiting there were a little boy and his mother and another young man that looked to be about that same age as Markus.

The warmth of the office did not stop the occasional shiver from Markus, and he held his coat closed tight around his torso as he approached the desk.

"Good afternoon. I'm Markus Vaughn. I have an appointment today," he smiled at the lady behind the desk. She was a mousy-looking girl with blonde hair that could do with a lot less frizz. When she looked up and saw Markus, she blushed and smiled. But then she looked to his left, saw Valerie giving her a glare and their interlocking arms and the smile faded a little.

Markus couldn't help but grin at her change in the lady's attitude. He knew he was good-looking, he couldn't deny that. But Markus was far from conceited and was actually a very humble person.

"Um...yes. Let me check for you," the young woman smiled and looked down at her computer.

The pale and small fingers with bright pink nail polish flew over the keyboard and clicked on the mouse a few times. Her eyes lit up when she found what she was looking for and she looked up to the figurative couple.

"A Valerie Blaylock made the appointment, am I correct?," she asked.

"Yes. That would be me," Valerie nodded.

"Alright, then. You're all set, Mr. Vaughn. Just take a seat and a nurse will be out shortly to take x-rays and show you to a room," the young woman smiled and blushed again.

"Thank you," Markus said.

The second he said that, Markus didn't get a chance to take a breath when Valerie pulled on his arm sharply and almost dragged him away from the desk. You could tell she was jealous, it was obvious. But her calm face didn't show it at all. Markus could tell how jealous she was when she pulled him into a seat next to herself and picked up a magazine for both of them to look through and rested her head on his upper arm.

Markus smiled slyly as he pretended to be interested in the magazine Valerie was reading.

"Are you jealous?," Markus leaned down just a bit and whispered in her ear.

Valerie looked up into his warm hazel eyes and blushed as he smiled at her and his soft smell filled her nose.

"Why would you say that?," she questioned.

Markus grinned slightly.

"Oh, no reason. But you _were_ glaring daggers at that receptionist when she smiled at me," he answered.

"I'm not jealous. I was just watching out for you."

"Watching out for me? What's that supposed to mean, Val?"

"It means nothing, okay? Just drop it."

"Whatever you say, sweetheart."

Valerie blushed harder than ever as she pulled away from his arm.

"What did you call me...?," she asked quietly.

"Um...nothing," Markus flushed slightly and averted his eyes.

Valerie thought it was cute and ended up snuggling back into his arms. She loved him now more than ever.

Markus, on the other hand, was still feeling the love, but felt a foreboding sense in the pit of his stomach. He realized that even if the love of his life was with him, even if she was by his side the entire time, Markus did _not_ want to go through with this. Not one bit.

There was a small gasp and a minute scream from beyond the locked door into the rooms. The second Markus heard it, it chilled his entire body and he shivered. Valerie took both of his hands and cradled them in her own like you would do to a baby. She lightly kissed the top of one hand and held them tight together. Markus smiled down at her and he felt the pure love that was emanating from her to him. Well, if he was going to die at the hands of the dentist today, at least he'd be happy in the end. He silently chuckled to himself as he waited for his name to be called.

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**I hope you have enjoyed the second chapter of my fanfiction! Please leave me a review and feel free to Private Message me with questions, comments, or just if you want to chat. Thank you! **


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